This post features Linda Jenson’s 5-star Goodreads review of Upside Down by R. Morello.
In her 5-star review, Linda Jenson praises Upside Down for being more than a story, it’s an emotional experience. From the opening scene at Shelly’s funeral to Caleb’s disorienting plunge into a world beneath reality, Linda highlights how the novella grips readers from its first pages.
She describes the Upside Down realm as a mirror of grief, unsettling yet strangely beautiful, forcing characters and readers alike to confront the rawness of loss.
Linda particularly notes the painful authenticity in Caleb and Maddy’s interactions. Their conversations are described as honest and vulnerable
These moments ground the surreal world in very human truth, making the story resonate far beyond its pages.
Linda praises the book’s refusal to sugarcoat emotional suffering. She writes that the story understands something profound:
Trauma isn’t something we “get over”, it’s something we wrestle with, sometimes for a lifetime.
This depth is what makes the novella both haunting and meaningful.
ISBN: 979-8296073051
